Umbrella.



F. W. HOWARD.

' UMBRELLA. APPLICATION FILED AUGQZB. 19M. RENEWED NOV. 23, I916- Patentedlune 12, 1917.

1 INVENTOR. fi'armfirfibaawrd 6 5y 7.

W1 7' IVESSES- A TTORNEYJ',

nuns ca. "(owl-(7:40,. wAsNmu mu. 0 c.

FRANK w.- HOWARD, or NEW YORK N. Y.

UMBRELLA.

Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 12,1917.

Application filed August 28, 1914, Serial No. 859,067. Renewed November 23, 1916. Serial No. 133,092.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. HOWARD, a. citizen of the United States residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Umbrellas, of which the following is a: specification.

This invention relates to umbrellas and particularly to umbrellas of a type which in which application the umbrella ribs are formed with integral coils which are formed near the point of attachment to the stlck and these coils are flexed when the umbrella is closed or opened.

A principal object of the present invention is to produce an umbrella having a special construction at the point of connection between the ribs and stick which will obviate the necessity of employing the flexible coils referred to above and which embodies a construction enabling the crown of the umbrella to be made very small and compact.

A further object of the invention is to provide aconstruction which will tend to prevent any bulging of the cover in the vicinity of the crown when the umbrella is closed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a runner of improved form having improved means for gripping the stick and for attaching the runner to the stretchers of the umbrella.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and simplicity of details hereinafter described, all of which contribute to producean efficient and economically constructed umbrella.

The preferred embodiment of my invention will be particularly described in the following specification while the broad scope of my invention will be .pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings V Figure 1 is a vertical section through the umbrella embodying my improvements, cer-.

tain parts being shown in section or broken away.

Fig. 2 is acrossv section upon an enlarged scale taken on the line 2+2 of Fig. 1, and further illustrating the preferred .form of the invention at the crown; in this view, the cover of the umbrella is omitted for the sake of olearness.

Fig. 3 is a partial section broken away and illustrating amodified form of the umbrella ribs at the point of connection with the crown.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation showing the lower end of the runner, the stretchers being omitted.

Fig. 5 is a. side elevation showing the split sleeve of the runner.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 5 represents the umbrella stick which may be of any suitable material but preferably made of wood with an enlargement or ball 6 to form a handle. The crown 7 of the umbrella preferably comprises a sleeve 8 the body of which is of cylindrical form and the lower end of which is expanded to form a bell-shaped mouth or outwardly bent lip 9. Theumbrellaribs 10 are preferably of steel or similar resllient metal preferably having rounded bodies, and the inner ends of the ribs are preferably formed with integral flat extensions 11 which operate like leaf springs so as to permit the flexing of the ribs at the point of connection with the stick when the umbrella is being closed or opened.

In assembling the parts of the umbrella a plurality of ribs are held with the extensions ll equi-distant from each other and sleeve 8. The stick is then driven into positlon and fits tight; as the stick is forced 1n, the flat sides of the extensions 11 press against the side of the wood which is relamovement on the stick. In this way,' we dispense with the necessity of employing special means at the crown for preventing a circumferential displacement of the ribs at the crown.

The cover 12 of the umbrella is preferably formed of an inexpensive material such as water proof paper and the central portion of-the cover is formed into a tubular neck 13 which is received over the lower portion of the sleeve 8. I

I provide a cap sleeve or ferrule 14;which is of. slightly larger. diameter than the sleeve 8 and this capsleeve is shoved onto the end extending in the same direction within the of the] stick so that its lower end will seat a on the expanded lower end of the mouth 9 of the inner sleeve. The lower end of this sleeve is also formed with a slightly belled 14: is jammed into position it securely holds the cover on the sleeve 8. The upper end of 'the sleeve is formed into a neck of reduced diameter which fits neatly on the stick 5. The cover 12 is preferably attached to the ribs by fastening devices 17 of any suitable construction but preferably of the type described in my copending application Serial No. 786,8441. Instead of forming the extensions 11, as indicated in Fig. 1,'I may construct them as illustrated in Fig. 3, in which figure 18 represents the flattened extension of the rib 19, said extension 18 having a lateral or outwardly bent toe 20 which engages the end of the inner sleeve 21. Such an arrangement asthis may facilitate the assembling of the parts, and prevent any outward movement of the extension 18 after the parts have been assembled.

The flattened extensions 11 preferably tend to assume a slightly bowed form, as

indicated in Fig. 1, sothat the ribs tend to assume an intermediate position between their closed position and their open position. When the umbrella is rolled up and tied, the ribs will lie flat against the side of the stick.

On account of the expanded lower end or bell-mouth 9 of the sleeve 8, no obstruction is oflered to the flexing outwardly of the extensions 11 when the umbrella is being opened, that is,the part of the flattenedextension between the lip 9 and the stick may flex outwardly; if desired, the bell-mouth 9 Y may be constructed so that its inner face engages the upper sides of the extensions 11 when the umbrella is opened.

The runner 22 preferably comprises a collapsible sleeve 23 of light sheet metal, said sleeve being preferably formed with a plurality of longitudinal slots 24 which permit the diameter of the sleeve to contract. This sleeve is arranged so as to be contracted by suitable means, preferably said means consists of a resilient coil 25 which is disposed around the body of the sleeve. This coil is preferably retained from accidentally slipping downwardly off of the sleeve by means of a small collar 26 formed integrally at the lower end of the sleeve. This coil is preferably of substantially the same form as the coil set forth in connection with the runner disclosed in my said copending application Serial No. 786,844. That is, the opposite ends of the wire which forms'the coil are bent around so as to form finger pieces 26 and 27. The endsof the wire being crossed at 28 so that when the finger pieces are pressed together, the gripping or contractile force of the coil of the sleeve will the stick which maintains the umbrella in an open position. p

In order to secure the stretchers 29 of the umbrella to the runner, I prefer to provide the sleeve 23 with an integral conical collar 30 at its upper end, and I provide openings 31 in said collar to which the stretchers may be attached, as indicated in Fig. 1. The outer endsof'the stretchers 29 may be attached to the ribs in any suitable manner.

In order to prevent the longitudinal movement of the coil 25 on the sleeve 23, I provide one of the finger pieces 27 with an extension or shank 32 the end of which engages the under face of the collar 30, as indicated in Fig. 1.

The slits 24: should be extended far enough to permit a free movement of the lower portion of the sleeve 23 so that it can contract in gripping the stick, or expand to release the runner from the stick.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described above is only one of the. many embodiments or forms the inin my claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is 1 1. In an umbrella, in combination, a

I stick, a plurality of ribs having integral extensions extending longitudinally and lying against the sides of the stick, said ribs having flat portions adjacent the stick at which the ribs flex in opening and closing the umbrella, and means for clamping said extensions against the side of said stick.

2. In an umbrella in combination, a stick,

.a plurality of ribs having integral flexible with said stick to permit the opening and closing of the umbrella, and a sleeve fitting tlghtly over said extensions and forcing the same into said stick, to secure said extensions to said stick and prevent lateral movement of said extensions.

3. In an umbrella in combination, a stick, a plurality of ribs having integral flattened flexible extensions extending longitudinally of and lying against the sides of said stick and constructed to flex to permit the opening I and closing of the umbrella, and a sleeve fit- V ting tight over said extensions forcingthe When these finger pieces 26 said extensions into the Wood of the stick and thereby securing the same to said stick.

4. In an umbrella, in combination, a stick, a plurality of ribs having flat flexible integral extensions extending longitudinally of and lying flatly against the side of the stick, a sleeve engaging over said extensions for securing the same to said stick, said sleeve having an outwardly turned lip at the lower end thereof permitting the outward flexing of said flexible extensions and permitting an outward movement of the flexible extensions at a point between the lip and the stick in opening the umbrella.

5. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a helical coil around said sleeve and extending along the same for controlling the contact of the said sleeve With the umbrella stick.

6. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a contractile helical coil around said sleeve for controlling the contact of the said sleeve With the umbrella stick, said coil normally exerting a constricting force to grasp the stick.

7. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a contractile coil around said sleeve for con trolling the contact of the said sleeve With the umbrella stick, said coil normally exerting a constricting force to grasp the stick, said runner having means for expanding the coil to release the stick from the constricting force of said coil.

8. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a coil around said sleeve and extending along the same for controlling the contact of the said sleeve With the umbrella stick, said coil normally exerting a constricting force on said sleeve and having extensions for expanding the coil to release the stick therefrom.

9. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a helical coil around said sleeve having means for manually controlling the grasp of said coil on the said sleeve, said coil having an extension engaging said sleeve and preventing the accidental detachment of said coil from said sleeve.

. 10. An umbrella runner consisting of a collapsible sleeve to encircle the stick, and a helical coil around said sleeve for controlling the contact of the said sleeve With the umbrella stick, and means for retaining said coil on said sleeve.

11. An umbrella runner consisting of a sleeve having longitudinal slots formed therein rendering said sleeve contractible, a resilient helical coil disposed around said sleeve and thereby causing said sleeve to grip the stick, and means for releasing the coil to permit the runner to slide along the stick.

12. An umbrella runner consisting of a sleeve having longitudinal slots formed therein rendering said sleeve contractible, a resilient helical coil disposed around and extending along said sleeve and thereby causing said sleeve to grip the stick, and means for expanding the coil to release the same and permit the runner to slide' along the stick, said sleeve having a flange adjacent one end thereof for attaching to the umbrella stretchers.

18. An umbrella runner consisting of a contractible sleeve having collars, a coil engaging said sleeve retained betvveen said collars and tending to contract said sleeve to engage the umbrella stick, and means for releasing said runner to permit the same to slide freely on the stick.

14. An umbrella runner consisting of a contractible sleeve, a coil engaging and extending along said sleeve and tending to contract said sleeve to engage the umbrella stick, and means for expanding said coil to release said sleeve to permit the same to slide freely on the stick, said sleeve having means for attaching the same to the stretchers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK W. HOWARD. Witnesses:

F. D. AMMEN, S. ANDREWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

